Chapter 26: Corrupting My Will with Money
Because Japan wasn't particularly large, the Kasugai Crow returned to Natsuya shortly after reporting the mission's completion to Headquarters.
Honestly, Natsuya found it incredible that the Demon Slayer Corps HQ hadn't been exposed yet.
Using crows to fly directly to HQ? That was a massive security flaw.
Given a demon's physical capabilities, they could easily tail a crow all the way back to the base. They wouldn't even need a special Blood Demon Art. After all, the crows didn't use relay stations or switch shifts; they flew straight from the Master to the Slayers.
Even if the crows had anti-tracking skills, their flight range was limited.
If a demon simply observed the flight paths of multiple crows and triangulated their convergence point on a map, the general location of the HQ would be obvious.
Then, they just had to look for the largest estate in that area. Boom. Found the Ubuyashiki Mansion.
It was bizarre that in the game's lore, the demons hadn't managed to assassinate the leader in a thousand years.
Either these man-eating demons—from the grunts to the leaders—are all brain-dead, or the Corps has some undisclosed counter-intelligence measures.
Maybe they used magic to hide the crows' tracks, or false signals that only humans could interpret.
Of course, Natsuya didn't bother complaining to the crow. Asking a bird to ponder organizational security architecture was a bit much.
Arriving with the crow was a member of the Kakushi.
Yes. The guys Natsuya had mentally tagged as [Logistics], [Couriers], and [Laggy Chat Support].
As expected, he was here to deliver something. But this time, it was Natsuya's salary.
Even Slayers had bills to pay.
100 Yen.
It was much more than Natsuya expected. And this was just the base salary for the lowest rank, Mizunoto. Slaying demons came with bonus bounties.
Don't underestimate 100 Yen. In the Taisho era, where the average annual income was less than 500 Yen, this monthly paycheck was enormous.
It was nearly half a year's wages for a regular worker.
It was enough for Natsuya to buy forty or fifty fat hens, or treat his friends to over a hundred movie tickets. Back when he trained with Kazami, the old man only spent 2-3 Yen on a massive grocery run.
Most people still used smaller denominations like Sen and Rin.
A rookie Mizunoto gets 100 Yen a month?
Then the Kinoe ranks... and the Hashira above them...
One month of their salary could probably buy a mansion in downtown Tokyo!
Just how rich is the Ubuyashiki family to fund this entire paramilitary organization solo?
Damn evil capitalists!
Even though it was a game, Natsuya shed tears of envy. In-game, he was a high-rolling Slayer. In real life, he was just a corporate slave struggling to pay rent in a big city.
He had a deep obsession with owning a "home."
Seeing Natsuya's complex expression, the Kakushi misunderstood. He thought the boy was overwhelmed by seeing such a large sum for the first time.
"Sir Kokonoe, this is the Master's way of showing appreciation for the swordsmen. Please do not decline it."
Natsuya: "???"
Decline? Why would I decline my Quest Rewards? It's not like New Year's where I have to pretend to refuse the Red Envelope from my grandma.
"If carrying cash is inconvenient, we can deposit it into a partner bank for you," the Kakushi offered. "The Central Bank, or the newly rising Mitsui and Sumitomo Banks are all available."
"You can withdraw funds at any branch with your credentials."
Natsuya: "..."
Even in a fantasy game, I can't escape the banking system?
Natsuya immediately switched to "Business Mode."
"Base salary is 100 Yen. What about the commission per kill?"
"Is it a flat rate per head? What's the pricing tier? Does the commission percentage increase if I rank up?"
The Kakushi was stunned by the rapid-fire questions. It was the first time anyone had asked him this.
Whether it was the frontline Swordsmen, the intel-gathering Kakushi, the medics at the Butterfly Mansion, the smiths at the Swordsmith Village, or the retired Swordsmen... almost no one cared about money.
Have some? Good.
Have more? Better.
Have none? Whatever.
Most people joined the Corps because of a blood feud. The Corps provided them with a platform for revenge: free combat training, ancient martial arts, high-end gear, custom katanas, intel on demons, and a leader willing to die for them.
Money was secondary. In fact, if the Corps ever went broke, most Slayers would probably pay out of their own pockets to keep it running.
"C-Commission? Percentage?"
The Kakushi struggled to process the terms before explaining.
The Corps highly encouraged slaying demons, so there were indeed bounties. However, the bounty didn't change based on the Slayer's rank. Whether a Mizunoto or a Hashira killed a specific demon, the reward money was the same.
(Of course, a Hashira's base salary was significantly higher.)
The key factor was the demon's strength and the Slayer's contribution to the kill.
The Kakushi division had specialized assessors to evaluate the threat level. Stronger demon = bigger payout.
For the demon Natsuya just killed? It had no Blood Demon Art and was relatively weak, so the base bounty wasn't high. But since Natsuya solo-killed it, he got 100% of the credit.
The estimate was around 2,000 Sen (20 Yen). That was enough to buy over 10 grams of gold.
But for the Twelve Kizuki?
If a Slayer solo-killed one of them... not only would they be promoted to Hashira, but the bounty would be enough to live in luxury in Osaka or Kyoto for a lifetime.
Before the Kakushi could finish, Natsuya's eyes lit up.
Since I'm going to be stuck in this game for years... buying a luxury villa in Tokyo isn't a bad idea, right?
The game's realism was top-tier. Once he finished the Main Quest, he could go on a super-luxury vacation. Drive the best cars, eat the best food, drink the best sake.
Even if the map outside Japan wasn't unlocked, spending a few weeks in Hokkaido, Osaka, or Ryukyu (Okinawa) would be amazing.
That's the dream.
"Um... Sir Kokonoe?" The Kakushi waved a hand in front of Natsuya's spacing-out face.
Natsuya snapped back to reality.
"WHERE ARE THE TWELVE KIZUKI? As a righteous swordsman, I must eliminate such evil immediately!"
Kakushi: ?
This gentleman... seems to have a very strong obsession with money.